Midwifery (direct entry programme) BSc (Hons) - Pre-registration

Midwifery is a rewarding career and at the University of Central Lancashire, we aim to help you develop into a confident and competent Midwife, effectively supporting women and their families through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Using a case based learning approach to your studies, you will be able to access research and evidence based guidance to support you in becoming an autonomous practitioner. The focus on the course is based on women and family centred care, where we will support you to develop all the skills needed to provide essential support, care and advice for women and their families. You will spend approximately 50% of your time in theory and 50% of your time in clinical practice, allowing you to put theory into practice, within a safe and welcoming environment. Throughout the course you will be supported by lecturers and clinical midwife mentors, who will support you through this challenging yet exciting course.

Midwifery is a challenging, yet rewarding career. Being a midwife is more than just delivering babies, it is about providing care to women and families at one of the most important times of their lives. A midwife is usually the first and main contact for the woman and her family during her pregnancy, throughout labour and in the period following the birth of the baby. As a qualified midwife, you will be responsible for providing care and supporting women to make informed choices about their care.

The midwifery education team is supported by internationally renowned researchers in Midwifery and Infant Nutrition.

The School of Community health and Midwifery is committed to the values and principles of the NHS Constitution and these are integral to our programmes. The approaches to delivery and the content of our programmes aim to foster a culture which embraces the NHS Values of:

Working together for patients

Respect and dignity

Commitment to quality of care

Compassion

Improving lives

Everyone counts

When applying for midwifery at the University of Central Lancashire, it is important to consider the values of a midwife, in relation to the NHS constitution. We also support the six C’s and we strive to include these within all aspects of our midwifery course. We encourage you to participate in voluntary or paid work within the healthcare sector, prior to applying for midwifery. This is to allow you to gain an understanding of the vital work healthcare workers do for families and the skills required to complete this work.

UCLan is one of the foremost providers of health and welfare education in the UK and is committed to excellence in learning, teaching and research. We have been awarded the highest independent quality assessment by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education for the design, student achievement and standards of teaching. The midwifery case based learning curriculum at the University of Central Lancashire has been shortlisted for numerous awards over the years, in recognition for the excellent learning it provides to student midwives. Student midwives studying midwifery at UCLan, have also won many awards including student midwife of the year and the RCM evidence into practice award.

Each and every student midwife is important to us and at the University of Central Lancashire we aim to support and encourage you, to develop into a confident and competent midwife.

Learn from world renowned academics who are all still visible in practice.

I chose to study midwifery as for the past few years it has been the only thing I wanted to do; I couldn’t see myself being anything other than a midwife. I loved the idea of the variety that came with midwifery due to working alongside different professionals to provide care to a woman. Also being able to support and guide someone in such a life-changing event of having a baby. I chose the course at UCLan as I liked the sound of the teaching methods used, the case-based approach allows me to easily transfer my skills and knowledge learnt in theory into practice. I enjoy many aspects of my course including the time spent in university with my course mates and lecturers, especially during practical skills sessions in the skills labs. But I also enjoy time spent on placement, where I feel I get plenty of support from my tutor/ link lecturer.

My favourite thing about UCLan aside from my course is the facilities available, including the library, free gym and the skills labs (used to learn practical skills needed for use in practice).

Top tip for new students – get involved, either with a society/ sport or within your course.

Victoria Oldfield

Not got the grades?

If you do not meet the formal entry requirements specified, you can apply to study our Foundation Entry Health and Social Care course. Successful completion of this foundation programme will allow you to apply (subject to successful interview) for a Pre-registration Nursing or Midwifery course.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Entry Requirements

Our typical offer is 112-128 UCAS Points, not including General Studies. We operate a flexible admissions policy and treat everyone as an individual. This means that we will take into consideration your educational achievements and predicted grades (where applicable) together with your application as a whole, including work experience and personal statement.

Check your points

DBS Checks

Throughout this course you will be working with vulnerable groups of individuals including children. In order to ensure that the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing offers places on their programmes to the most suitable candidates you will all be required to obtain a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance (formerly termed CRB). The Faculty of Health and Wellbeing will be able to guide you through this process once you have been successfully offered a conditional place at the University. It is important to note that any unsatisfactory Enhanced DBS clearance may result in the offer of your place being withdrawn even if you have already started your course.

Course Overview

Year 1 (level 4) modules

Compulsory Modules:

Midwife 1

Woman and childbearing 1

Baby and family 1

Year 2 (level 5) modules

Compulsory Modules:

Midwife 2

Woman and childbearing 2

Baby and family 2

Altered health in pregnancy

Year 3 (level 6) Modules

Learning Environment and Assessment

A 3 year degree qualification typically comprises 360 credits and each 20 credit (a standard module) equates to 200 hours of study, which comprises of a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical sessions and independent study. Independent study is an important aspect of your degree course. The exact combination of study time will be detailed within your module descriptors, and will depend on your option choices.

We aim to engage you in a stimulating and challenging learning environment and this will support you to develop knowledge and skills, equipping you for a successful career in midwifery. At the University of Central Lancashire, we use a case based learning approach, which will enable you to become an independent learner and allow you to develop skills that will be vital for employment. Sessions are taught through seminars, lectures, tutorials and clinical skills are taught in the dedicated midwifery clinical skills lab. The modern clinical skills facilities include ward environment simulation, home environment simulation as well as mannequins that can simulate a wide range of pregnancy and birth related scenarios. During your midwifery studies, you will spend time within the clinical skills lab, allowing you to develop confidence in your clinical skills.

Both theoretical and clinical competences are assessed to meet the professional requirements to become a qualified midwife. For theoretical assessment we use many different approaches, to allow you the best chance to succeed. These include written assignments, presentations, simulated scenarios, creative and interactive assessments, exams and portfolio work.

Clinical Skills Suite

Industry Links

At the University of Central Lancashire, we have developed close links with healthcare providers across the whole of the Lancashire area including NHS trusts across Preston & Chorley, Blackpool, Blackburn & Burnley and Southport & Ormskirk. These learning environments provide our students with a unique insight into how healthcare is managed in all settings. All clinical placement providers are audited according to the Nursing & Midwifery Council requirements for learning and teaching in clinical practice. Each clinical site has a dedicated site link lecturer attached to the placement area, so that students may access support and advice. Academic staff work in close contact with the NHS trust practice education facilitators and the development of these close links enable our students to feel confident that their practice experiences are supported throughout their course. As part of your clinical experience you can expect to work alongside a clinical mentor who will support your learning journey throughout each placement area.

Our News

Unicef UK baby-friendly award for UCLan
UCLan is the most recent university to gain recognition from Unicef UK for the high levels of education in breastfeeding provided to students on its midwifery and health visiting courses.

Professional Accreditation

The BSc (Hons) Midwifery course is validated by the Nursing and Midwifery council. Once you have successfully completed the course, you will be able to enter the register as a qualified Midwife.

Opportunities

Within the final year of your studies, you will have the opportunity to participate in an international placement, allowing you to explore midwifery in a different setting.

You will also have the opportunity to join the award winning UCLan midwifery society and passionate midwifery forums, which are all arranged by the UCLan midwifery students.

Once you complete the course, you will become a registered midwife, registered with the Nursing and Midwifery council. You will have the opportunity to apply to work as a midwife within the NHS or within other independent midwifery settings.

You may also have the opportunity to work abroad, exploring midwifery in a global context.

Midwifery is a research and evidence based career, therefore we encourage and support you to continue onto further study. At the University of Central Lancashire, we offer a dedicated MSc in Midwifery as well as opportunities for you to progress onto a PhD and other research programmes.

Further Information for students

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Central Lancashire on our Student Contract page.

Entry Requirements

For changes to 2017 UCAS tariff entry requirements please see our Essential and Important Course Information. UCLan requires all undergraduate applicants to have a minimum attainment of five GCSEs at grade C and above, or equivalent, (including Maths and English). In 2017 and beyond we will view the new Grade 4 as being equivalent to a C grade and will therefore require students to achieve GCSE Grade 4 or above. However, if the subject is relevant to our degree programme and requires a higher GCSE grade (e.g. GCSE B grade), and/or includes a Professional body that governs the entry requirements, Grade 5 or above may be required.